The New Case
by KorvasTerindar
Summary: Max and Maria share each others company before going to meet with Sam and find out what he's learned about their host, before getting a nasty surprise.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, new story. I am familiar with the character's in the Sam and Max universe and yes I am aware that I have deviated from the norm a little. I hope you like it.

Chapter 1

"C'mon Sam, I want to try this!" Max's simple sentence would normally have not alarmed anyone, what he wanted to try definitely would have. Sam stood rooted to the spot his eyes covered with a blindfold Max sharpened a fist full of throwing hatches.  
"Max, I really don't want to do this, normally I'm all for target practice, but not when I'm the target!" Max looked up briefly from what he was doing with a matter of fact look on his face as he responded, "Well its only fair, you put things on my head and use me as target practice." Sam had to admit that in some twisted sense of fairness that it did make sense. He began to pray quietly that Max's aim would be better than usual.

"There! Alllll Done, now hold still, this wont hurt at all." Sam audibly gulped as he braced him self. Max put all six of the throwing axes in one hand and covered his eyes, He pulled back and then threw them. One, two, three, four, five, and six resounding thuds echoed through the room. "Oh I can't look!" Max was now covering his eyes with both hands, slowly he moved a few fingers apart and looked at the wall where Sam stood. Almost as white as a sheet stood Sam, completely unharmed. "Woo Hoo! It didn't kill you!" Sam slowly removed his blindfold, finding it difficult with his trembling hands. "For which I am very grateful." Max held his face, blushing and said, "Oh Stop! You'd do the same for me."  
"Use you as a living hatchet board, not a chance!" Max seemed to think that this was an insult, at least for a moment, he opened his mouth indigently and stopped, his eyes moving as if deep in thought. "Ohhhhh, Thanks!" Sam pulled the hatchets from the wall, noticing as he did so that Max had chalked on the wall behind his back the words 'Kill Zone' in big letters. He moved to wipe them off when Max suddenly yelled, "Don't wipe that off, it'll serve as a reminder of the time I didn't kill you in an almost certain death fashion." Sam shook his head, "Whatever floats your boat Max." Max put his hands to his face again, his eyes sparkling happily as he said, "I have a boat? Did you get it for me? Oh I hope it has missile launchers on it!" Sam shook his head quickly, trying to cut Max off before he had to go get him a boat, "No I didn't get you a boat, its just an expression." Max immediately deflated with a resounding "Awwwww!"  
"Maybe next year, Little buddy." Max immediately perked up again as he sat back in his seat with his eyes closed, probably envisioning a warship he hoped to own. Sam put the hatchets in his hand on his desk before looking out the window.

It wasn't the same window he used to have, nor was this the same office he used to have. It was actually pleasant to stay in now. A couple months ago they had had to move to this new office while on a major case of surprising normalness. They had been hired to take down a cult of cake worshipers who had hijacked nuclear weapons and held the country hostage until all bakeries were shut down. When they had opened the office door Max had fainted from the cleanliness and Sam had been temporarily breathless. The office was larger than their old one, with enough room for two full sized desks in it unlike their old one where there had only been enough room for his own desk and a small school desk for Max. The walls were freshly painted, the carpet brand new and very pleasant on the feet, the windows opened easily, and there were two bedrooms and and full bathroom. However after having lived here for two months, it wasn't as pretty anymore, well, the walls and ceiling weren't anyway. The carpet was still soft and comfortable and had virtually no stains, the walls all had some sort of damage, bullet holes, dart holes, axe marks, and one conspicuous hole in the ceiling in the shape of Max's head, a product of a phone call. Additionally, they had been eating reasonably better now, though Sam had agreed when Max stated that they'd both go through garbage withdrawal from all this good food.

He'd been right but Sam had been adamant that they eat normally even if it put them in the hospital. Max had thus far complied but a couple of times Sam had had to give in to the cravings otherwise they'd have probably put each other in intensive care. Sam sat down in his cushy chair and looked over at Max who had obviously fallen asleep. The move had been good for the two of them, Max was slightly less violent than usual, but only some one who knew Max would have noticed, to everyone else he was still the frightening lagomorph he'd always been. Sam pulled out his revolver and inspected it disinterestedly. Some much had changed in the past couple of months. New city, new people, better lifestyle, different cases. On some days it was almost overwhelming.  
He opened the revolver and pulled out the rounds, lining them up neatly on the desk before pulling out gun cleaning supplies from it. He hadn't cleaned his gun in awhile, an obvious hazard in his line of work. He and Max were the Freelance Police. He liked to think of it as a branch of law enforcement, but he and Max had had to avoid the police in the past while trying to solve their cases. Whenever Sam had suggested calling the police for extra help Max would usually slap him or tell him that they'd only slow them down. In part he was sort of right, they would follow regulations to get the job done and on a lot of the cases they worked regulations simply didn't help matters. If the perpetrator is shooting at you, you shouldn't have to request permission to shoot back or fill out a dozen different pieces of paperwork explaining how the perp got that fatal bullet wound.

He blew down the barrel as he finished cleaning his gun before putting the bullets back into it. He flipped it shut and spun the chamber before putting it back in the holster. He sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. It was about 9pm now, though this was still early considering when he usually went to bed, he thought that maybe it was time to turn in. He stood up, putting his hat on his desk and moving around it to pick Max up. He gently lifted the rabbit off his chair and slowly walked toward the door. Max'd be the first to deny it but when he slept, he really was a cute little thing, A fact enforced by the fact that he snuffled gently and curled closer to Sam. Sam smiled and whispered, "Adorable little tyke." Max sighed contentedly and said in a dreamy way, "I'll kill you if you call me that again." Sam's smile widened a little as he moved towards Max's room. Just as he pushed it open the phone started ringing.  
Sam looked over his shoulder as a pair of large furred feet collided with his skull. He dropped Max as he staggered from the blow. Max landed on the floor on his feet and stamped on Sam's foot before sprinting for the phone. "I got it!" Sam tried to rush after him but having been caught off guard Max got to the phone first. He picked it up and said, "Hello, this is Max speaking, who do you need terminated?" Sam limped into the room and said, "Give me the phone you Knucklehead!" Max held up a hand and said, "Sam, I got this."

Max listened intently on the other end of the phone, trying to hear any sound of the caller eventually he heard what sounded like a panicked female whisper, "Hello? Is this the Freelance Police?" Max nodded and said, "Yep, we sure are. So who do you need terminated?" The caller answered quickly, the fear in the voice clearly evident, "No one, I need rescue, please come help me, I'm at 1902 Pinelake road, Come quickly!" Max jumped slightly at the sound of repeated gunshots followed by a scream. Max put the phone on the receiver and yelled as he pulled out his Luger, "Quick Sam, there's a woman in distress and she needs our help!" Sam looked at his partner curiously and asked, "Since when did you start liking woman?" Max cocked the gun and said, "I haven't I'm just eager to have a shoot out with the guy shooting at her." Sam nodded, "That explains it, well, we better not keep our victim waiting. Lets Go!" Max Screamed in excitement and rushed to the door his gun held above his head like a sword.

Twelve minutes later

The sound of screeching tires filled the air as Sam slammed on the breaks. He barely had time to register the eerie house when gunfire filled the air. Both he and Max rolled out of the car and took shelter behind it, Max was practically glowing with excitement where as Sam himself was slightly nervous, yes he'd been shot at, but never by people this well trained, he could tell they were by the fact that he had felt a bullet graze his cheek before he got out of the car. Max looked over the car at the house quickly before ducking back down behind it, "I'd say about 15 of them Sam, 3 snipers and 6 machine gunners and 6 sharpshooters." Sam looked over the car as a bullet ricocheted off inches from his face. "What's the difference between a Sharpshooter and a sniper?" "Sharpshooters are accurate, snipers are precise." A few more rounds thudded into the car as Sam cocked his pistol. "Max, I don't think were prepared enough for this!" Max fired a few rounds from behind the car followed by a scream from the house, "Sam don't think about the statistics and just shoot!" Sam had never fired his gun with the purpose to kill, heck, he hadn't actually killed anyone with it, but now... He pushed the thoughts from his head as he leaned around the car and pulled the trigger.

The fire fight went on for what felt like hours. By the time two of the fifteen perps remained both Sam and Max were both sporting bullet wounds. Sam had been hit in the arm, thigh, and ear. Max had also been hit in the ear, leg, arm, and had a ricochet hit his left cheek. His face had gone from wild excitement to intense anger when he realized that these guys were actually try to kill them. Max reloaded his gun again as Sam took another few shots, taking out the last two with a few well aimed shots. Sam and Max sat there for a few minutes to be sure that the coast was clear. Sam slowly stood up, in part due to his leg and looked around. "I think we got them all, you alright Max?" Max snorted as he wrapped a piece of cloth from the med kit in the trunk around his leg and another around his ear, "Do I look alright to you?" No he didn't admitted Sam, but then, he couldn't look much better. He kept this med kit in the trunk because of the high likelihood that he'd need it where Max was involved, he never thought he'd need to use it on himself. After bandaging their wounds as best they could the moved towards the house, guns out and loaded. They moved between cover as well, not wanting to risk any surprises. Both were tense but by the time they reached the house, it seemed clear that there would be no more surprises. Sam slowly pushed open the door to the house while Max brought up the rear, he was doing his best to ignore the bodies lying here or there. They usually didn't bother him, but these were of his own creation. They slowly began a search of the house, floor by floor. The first floor was empty, the basement as well.

Sam was beginning to suspect that this had been a trap, possibly laid by the remains of the cake cultists but when the opened a bedroom door on the second floor they received a surprise. A black furred lagomorph sat bound to a chair. Max's breath caught slightly as he looked at the creature. It was female, this much was clear. She wore a dress which was torn and dirty, her shirt was a light white that clashed well with her fur. It too was damaged and dirty. She looked as though she had been severally beaten, blood was evident on her shirt and dress. Sam moved slowly into the room but Max however pushed past Sam and moved quickly to her side, "Hey, are you alright?" Sam was more than a little surprised by this reaction, he had half expected him to cut her loose and be his usual crude self, but for some reason completely unknown to him and all of science his personality seemed to have completely changed. The woman slowly stirred and opened one eye, the other seeming to not respond. She let out a weak laugh of relieve that turned immediately to sobs as Max cut her loose. She slumped against him, sobbing uncontrollably. Max looked at Sam as if to say 'Help Me' but Sam chuckled and said, "You got yourself into this, you get yourself out."  
"Gee thanks Sam, I really appreciate it!" Max looked at the woman in his arms and tried to imitate those tv cops he sometimes watched, "Umm... Don't worry, everything's going to be alright now, your safe." He looked back at Sam, who nodded in approval. Max handed his gun to Sam and lifted the woman to her feet. She barely had the strength to hold onto him, let alone stand. Max sighed in a resigned way as he shifted in front of her and picked her up onto his back. "Oof, Okay, I'm not giving anymore piggyback rides after this." Sam smirked as he said, "Why not, you look so.." Max interrupted him sharply and said, "It is so important to your health that you not complete that sentence!" Sam chuckled again as Max staggered out the door.

How'd I do? Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

Well here's chapter 2, Read it at your leisure.

Chapter 2

Sam sat on the hospital bed reading through a old magazine. He had only been here for a couple of hours and already both he and Max had been patched up by the docs at the hospital, and now they were waiting on the report of their employer. He looked at his wrist watch as he absently turned a page, taking note as he did so the small article about the cake cult. "You'd think that our last case would have garnered front page of the news." He didn't expect an answer from Max, reason being is that Max was currently gagged and strapped to the hospital bed next to him. He had a slightly glazed look in his eyes, no doubt due to the tranquilizers the doctors had given him. Max was one of the worst when it came to seeing the doctor, usually screaming things about conspiracy and claiming that all they wanted to do was dissect him. This was of course completely untrue but that didn't stop him from fighting tooth and nail to 'defend' himself. Sam had had to wrestle his Luger from him, and four hospital guards had held him down before they pumped enough tranquilizers in him to put a drug manic into orbit. The door to his left opened and a doctor came in carrying a chart in his hand. "Well Sam, your employer is resting comfortably, she'll be here for a while with the injuries she sustained. You however and your partner are free to go." The doctor moved next to Max and undid his bindings, the lagomorph barely seeming to register the change. Sam stood up, wincing slightly as he put weight back onto his hurt leg. He moved next to the doctor and picked Max up, slinging him over his shoulder and asking as he did so, "Where can I pick up our guns?" The doctor didn't look at him as he answered while writing something on the chart he carried, "At the security station, please ensure you do not return your companions weapon until you are far from the Hospital." Sam nodded and let the room with Max drooling over his shoulder.

The trip through the hospital was uneventful, well, apart from when Max snapped out of his lethargy to the sound of a charging defibrillator to scream, "Clear!" Sam had been baffled by this, mainly because he had slipped back into his lethargy immediately after. Sam stopped outside the intensive care room in which their client was. It was hard to see such a delicate looking creature in such a situation, though she did kinda resemble Max, apart from the black fur, obvious feminine features and difference in physical shape. He felt sorry for her and hoped very much that those perps that he and Max took out earlier were the only ones responsible. Sam wasn't optimistic about that however, seeing as how in all of their cases, it was never that easy. Sam sighed and continued on towards the security office to retrieve his and Max's equipment. Once he had gotten the guns and car keys he left the Hospital, trying to ignore the increasingly large wet spot on his back from Max's mouth. "C'mon, snap out of it little buddy." Sam gave Max a little shake but the lagomorph didn't respond. When he got to the bullet riddled car Sam tossed Max into the passenger seat unceremoniously, got in the car and headed back to the office. Normally, he'd have head towards a body shop to get the car fixed, but he was tired, grumpy, and sore, not to mention that he really wanted to change out of his drool soaked clothing.

Sam found the drive to be soothing, it wasn't often he got to drive around at night, he really wished that Max was aware of the world, mainly because he felt sort of lonely when Max wasn't around. He reached over and Straightened Max out so that he was sitting up, instead of lying with his head on the floor. He looked back out over the road and swerved to miss a mailbox. "Ohhhhh, what happened?" Sam looked to his left to see Max shaking his head slightly, apparently the jolt of the swerving car shook Max out of his stupor. "Nice to see you return to the realm of the living." Max gave a slightly alarmed look to Sam and asked, "Was I dead? I seem to remember some one yelling Clear." Sam laughed slightly, "That was you little buddy." Max seemed to still be slightly dazed as he asked, "Who'd I bring back?" Sam shook his head and said, "No one, you just reacted to the sound." Max slumped in the seat slightly, seeming to be a little disappointed. Sam reached over an rubbed the top of Max's head which in turn caused Max to fall asleep. The little guy had to be exhausted. Sam again redirected his attention to the road and again swerved to miss another mailbox. It wasn't long after his second mailbox incident that he was pulling into the parking spot in front of the office, flattening the parking meter to the sidewalk in the process. Sam picked Max up out of the passenger seat and carried him up the the office. It was close to three in the morning and all was quite. Compared to what he'd been through earlier this evening, he was glad to be home. He opened the office door and put Max on his desk before moving to unplug the phone, the last thing he wanted at the moment was a mad dash for the phone with only a few hours sleep. After closing and locking the office door he picked Max back up and took him to his room. Max's room was a clear indicator of how twisted its occupant was, magazines littered the floor, Self Loathing weekly, Gunz and Ammunition, Surgeons Weekly, to name a few, on shelf to the left of the door was Max's presidential badge, the bed was reasonably normal, except it was very disheveled, as if it had never been made. On the nightstand was Max's gun cleaning equipment, and incidentally, the only neat things in the room, all laid out neat and orderly for maximum cleaning efficiency. Sam put Max on his bed and pulled a blanket over him, not bother to tuck him in because of the high likelihood that he'd pull it off of him while he slept. After that he left the room and went into his own. His room was a lot neater and a lot more normal. He had a simple single bed, a small dresser with mirror, a rotary fan, and a punching bag that he never used. He moved to his dresser and changed out of his shirt and jacket, grateful to be out off his soaked clothes. He hoped very much to not have to do that again. He turned to his bed and fell on to it and was asleep within minutes.

7 hours later

Sam was woken by a pair of feet landing on his side. He came awake with extreme prejudice and spun around to see Max standing on the edge of his bed, his eye's wider than usual as he gazed at Sam. Max reached out toward Sam and he said, "Munchies..." Sam grabbed Max by his scruff and said, "We'll get breakfast on the condition that you not attempt to eat me, deal?" Max looked back at him and said, "Munchies... Me want Munchies..." Sam climbed out of bed, holding Max at arms length as he pulled a robe on, having no free hands for his coat. Max was starting to drool again and Sam was sorely tempted to give him a good slap to bring him back, but thought better of it. He left his room, still holding Max like he was a misbehaving cat. He dropped him on the table and moved to the refrigerator. The kitchen wasn't very large, having barely enough room for Sam to stand in let alone cook, Max had offered to handle all cooking but Sam wasn't ready to put his life in Max's paws, let alone his lunch. He made a simple breakfast, a cup of coffee for the two of them and a simple meal, comprising of toast, eggs and oatmeal. He turned back to the table to give Max his food only to see Max gnawing on tablecloth. He put the plate on the table and said, "Come on Max, leave the poor table cloth alone and eat." Max spat out the tablecloth corner and set upon his full plate instead. Sam sipped at his coffee while Max tore through his food with gusto. In next to no time, nothing remained on the plate as Max slugged back his cup of coffee in on gulp.  
"Feeling better little buddy?" Max beamed at Sam and said with great enthusiasm, "Oh boy do I! By the way, where's my gun?" Sam chuckled as he pulled Max's Luger out his holster handing to Max and saying, "Its good to have you back Max." Max took his gun and dismantled it for inspection while Sam ate his food.

Time passed slowly as the morning wore on, Sam finished his breakfast without incident and Max was now put his gun together, hanging upside down and blindfolded for the third time. Sam moved over to his desk and reconnected the phone, if they were going to get any updates about their clients well being, it needed to be on. No sooner than when he plugged it in did it ring. Sam grabbed the receiver and picked it up as a bullet fired from Max's gun hit the floor near his foot. Sam jumped out of the way of the still blindfolded Max and asked who it was. "This is the doctor in charge of Ms. Maria's well being."  
"Ms. Who?" Sam's confused question was somewhat broken with laughter as a still blindfolded Max ran headlong into the wall yelling, "Give it to me!" The doctor on the other end of the phone continued, "Ms. Maria, no last name on her license, she's the woman you brought in yesterday, I have news on her condition." Sam sat in his chair, feeling slightly concerned as he asked, "Is she alright?"  
"She's doing well, I called to tell you that she has woken up and is requesting to see you and your partner. I told her that I would pass on her request." Sam nodded as he held Max back with one hand and said, "Thanks, we'll be right there." Sam hung up the phone and said to Max as he finally took off the blindfold, "Max, it looks like our client is awake now, we're going to go ask her how she came to be in that predicament." Max sighed and put his gun away, "Got to go back to the hospital again? I hope she has some valuable info for us." Sam changed into his coat and picked up his gun and car keys as he said, "So do I little buddy."

I hope i didn't seem rushed and I hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 3

Here's chapter 3, took a bit to get it together, I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sam and Max

Chapter 3

Max ran down the stairs of their office building two at a time. Sam didn't know whether he was eager to go see their client or if he wanted to get this over with so he didn't have to go back to the hospital again. He stopped on the landing and waited for Sam to catch up to him, bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet. Max knew how to hot wire a car, but the last time he had hot wired the Desoto Sam had been so angry that Max never wanted to see him angry again. It was one of the few times that Max learned better of it. He waited impatiently for max to unlock the front door, Sam was deliberately fumbling with the keys.  
"Oh come on Sam, hurry up!" Sam smiled and said as he jiggled the keys teasingly, "Why, your not eager to go see our lovely client are you?"  
Sam ducked behind the janitor closet door to his left as Max threw three throwing knives at him. Sam chuckled as an irate Max exclaimed, "I wouldn't joke about that!" Sam looked around the door frame at Max who stood there with his gun in one hand and two more throwing knives in the other.  
"Oh come on Max, you know I was joking." Max flushed slightly as he realized that he had overreacted to the joke. Max went to pull the knives from the wall and said, "No I don't like her, you know I don't like girls." Sam chuckled again as he unlocked the front door and said slyly, "You know, I never said you did Mr. defensive."

Max went silent at this, ever since completely unlocking his psychic powers, his memory had improved greatly. He remembered that Sam had indeed said nothing about Max liking the black furred lagomorph that they had rescued. He was convinced that he had reacted to Sam insinuating that he did and that he still didn't like girls. He had a perfectly good reason for this, but he had never told anyone about it, including Sam. He walked out the door after Sam and found himself chuckling at the sorry state the Desoto was in. The front end of the car was so riddled with bullet holes that Max was amazed the car was still running. He hopped over the driver seat into the passenger and sat down also noting the considerable number of bullet holes in the seats as well. Sam jumped over the car door into the driver seat and put the keys into the ignition. With a slight grinding the engine roared to life.  
Sam slowly pulled back off the side walk, the parking meter coming out of the sidewalk with the car. Max did his best to ignore the sound of grinding metal as they sped down the road toward the hospital. The drive was surprisingly short but Max wished it had been longer. There were many reasons for this, the first was of course the fact that he hated hospitals, the second was that he was unsettled by what he was going through. In all his life, he had never been this unsettled, not even when he and Sam had accidentally switched bodies.

He knew something was changing, for good or bad he didn't know. He let out a half sigh that didn't go unnoticed. "Max, whats wrong with you?" Max looked up at his friend, his concerns unvoiced as he shook his head,  
"Nothing Sam, I'm okay." Sam had known Max for his entire life, they had practically grown up together and in all that time he could only remember one other time when Max had been this quite, when they had been teens. Sam also was fairly confident that Max was lying about being okay. "Sam, what is love?" This random question sent his mind reeling, it was both totally unexpected and the last thing Sam ever thought to hear Max say. "Why would you be asking this all of a sudden?" It didn't take long for Sam to form an answer. Even without Max saying anything, the puzzle was finally in view, or most of it anyway. It finally explained Max's odd behavior yesterday, when they had found their client, and earlier when Max had overreacted to Sam's joke. Sam reached over and put his hand on Max's shoulder and asked, "Are you attracted to our client?" Max didn't answer immediately as his face soured. Half of him said no, the other half said yes. He shrugged half halfheartedly and said, "I don't know Sam, I haven't felt this way before, its like when I think about her I feel ill or my heart feels lighter." Sam didn't really know how to answer to that, what Max was describing sounded somewhat like revulsion, but lightness of heart sounded like love. Sam pulled Max into a one armed hug.

Max wasn't usually one for signs of affection like this, but he was too troubled to care. He didn't like what he was feeling, like he was torn in two. He mentally shook himself, he was being stupid. For years now he had had plenty of opportunities to fall in love and none of the girl he had met had stirred up any interest in him at all. Why should this one be any different? Max gingerly removed himself from the hug before his eyes went wide. His mind seemed to go through a multi colored tunnel before he was looking through a window of the future. He saw what looked to be the scene of an accident, roughly in the spot they were sitting now. The rear of their car was crushed from a major impact with what appeared to be an ambulance. On the pavement in front of the car lay two sheet covered figures.  
Max's heart started racing as the future vision faded from his mind followed by the sound of sirens. Max jumped onto Sam's lap and screamed, "Floor it!" Sam complied confused as Max jerked the steering wheel hard to the right. They sped 100 yards down the road before Sam let off the gas. They both looked back to where they had been parked and saw an ambulance parked exactly where they had been seconds before. Sam let out a relieved sigh and he patted Max on the head, "Way to go Max." Max steered the car towards a different parking spot and hopped out of the car. They walked back towards the hospital, stopping briefly to watch the occupant of the ambulance be carried through the ER doors.

A few Minutes Later.

Sam knocked on the door of their clients room. "Come in."  
Sam opened the door carefully and looked inside. Sitting in the bed was the black furred rabbit. Her eyes were a deep emerald green and both were now open. Sam was surprised by what he saw, Many of the bandages that she had previously had were now gone. It looked to him like she had been in here for weeks, but it had only been one day. She smiled widely as she said, "Ah, the Freelance police, let me first say that I greatly appreciate your rescue." Her voice was light and sweet, likened to honey or songbirds. Max found that for some reason he seemed to be holding his breath. She turned to look at Max and continued, "Also I would like to tell you the details of the case I have for you, if your interested." Max sat down in a chair next to her bed and said before Sam even opened his mouth, "Of course we're interested, please continue." Sam looked like he'd been hit across the head with a heavy object, manners from Max? Sam proceeded to the window to see if the world was ending. Upon concluding the the world was not in flames he sat down in the chair next to Max and ignored the confused looks from the other two. The black furred lagomorph cleared her throat and continued, "I am Maria, I know who you are. I am an undercover detective on a case in this town." Sam's eyebrow raised at this, an undercover detective? When they had found her, she had been strapped to a chair, in a dress, and had broken down crying when they rescued her. He cleared his throat and she looked at him politely, "I know that this may sound rude, but how do you expect me to believe you without proof?"

She shook her head and produced a badge from out of nowhere, presumably the same way Max put his gun away. She opened it and handed it to Sam while saying, "Perhaps next time you should ask for proof before you accuse me of not having it." Sam looked over the badge, noting that she was working for a division of the government that he'd never heard of. He handed it back to her and she put it away before continuing where she left off, "As I was saying, I am an undercover detective who has been assigned to investigate a possible power behind the recent events." Max looked over at Sam and then back at Maria and asked, "Are you saying the cake cult was planned?" Maria nodded and answered, "Possibly, I haven't enough evidence to say for sure, but it seems likely that this is the case. How else do a bunch of crazed cultists numbering only a couple dozen get a hold of nuclear weapons?" Sam had to admit that when you put it that way, it did make some sense, a bunch of crazed individuals couldn't possibly have gotten their hands on weapons of mass destruction without help. Sam sighed, he knew that their last case had gone too smoothly. He took his hat off and rubbed his eyes wearily. Max looked like he was about to say something when Maria continued, "I received a tip that the leader of this group resides in this town and is throwing some sort of party at his mansion." Max abruptly interrupted her by asking, "Why in the world would the leader of a corrupt organization throw a party for a failure?"

Maria shook her head, "I don't know, its possible its not a celebration but some sort of commemoration to something, I don't have all the details. All I know for sure is that I need to go there and learn what I can about this group." Sam shook his head and said, "I don't think so, even if I believed you were up to it, how do I know any of this is on the level?" She sighed and said, "I know you have doubts Sam, but please trust me on this, it is important. Besides, after all you and Max have been through, hunting a corrupt organization leader shouldn't be surprising." Max laughed a little as he said, " I think its more the fact that its too normal on comparison." This was true, after having traveled through time, raised the dead, been turned into zombies and switched souls, hunting a single corrupt man at a house party was in the bizarrely normal zone. Max stood up and stretched before asking, "So when do you think you'll be out?" Maria closed her eyes thoughtfully before responding "In About a day or so." Sam and Max gaped at her, when they had found her, she'd been badly beaten and now suddenly she'd be leaving the hospital after only two days of recovery. She giggled sweetly and explained, "Most lagomorphs have a history of unique abilities. You Max are psychic, I can heal rapidly. I wasn't beaten just once."

Max was immediately filled rage at the people who had captured her and wished very much that were still alive only so he could kill them again. Sam put his hat back on his head and stood up, "Well it was nice talking with you, when you get better and have a plan as to how we get into this party, call us." Max and Maria both were taken aback by this sudden end to the conversation but both realized that there really wasn't much left to be said. Max stood up to follow Sam and stopped short of the door. He looked back at the woman on the bed and said one of the few sensitive things that ever left his mouth, "Get well soon."  
It seemed that this simple phrase confused Maria just much as it confused Sam. In two days flat he had gone from his reckless and destructive self to a reckless destructive version of himself with a bit of sensitivity, it was unnerving.  
Max turned and went out through the door with a still opened mouthed Sam following behind.

Well thats chapter 3 for you, I hope you liked it, number four should be along soon


	4. Chapter 4

Well, here's chapter 4, I hope you like it

Disclaimer: I do not own Sam and Max.

Warning: The nightmare sequence up next may be frightening and is somewhat graphic, Viewer discretion is advised.

Chapter 4

_Max stood there looking out over the vast destruction that he had wrought. He chuckled crazily, the mass mayhem pleasing him greatly, but something was missing. Sam, where was he? Max looked around worriedly, something that he almost never felt, worry over someone else. "Sam where are you?" The bodies lay around him in piles, building collapsed to the ground in flame, screams filled the air, but the fact that Sam wasn't here disturbed him. Max began running through the carnage, the only thing he felt currently was fear. "Sam! Sam where are you?" He turned corner after corner, the buildings and streets conspiring to form a twisted labyrinth whose walls were formed of the very destruction that filled him dream. Sam had to be here, but where, he was never far from Sam, why now? Max turned corners at blinding speed, his heart pounding with fear, his mind numb with panic. Finally after what felt like centuries a break seemed to form in the walls, a light ahead at the end. Max ran through the opening at breakneck speed, Sam surely had to be here. _

_Sam was here, as was a dream version of himself but the scene was one of utter horror. Max let out a horrified scream at the scene before him. Sam was here, he lie on the floor of this blank room, his eyes just as empty as the walls around them, his face showing all the signs of a man betrayed. His body bore numerous stab wounds, all of which bled freely. The nightmare Max stood over him smiling wickedly at Max, holding a long blood soaked serrated blade, laughing manically. He spoke with a voice that echoed as demonically as the demons from horror movies. "You should have expected this Me, isn't this what you wanted, to kill everyone and everything in a gruesomely spectacular way?" Max slumped to his knees beside Sam, his hand trembling as he reached for him, willing him to live. The nightmare him moved behind him and put the blade to his neck, "Lets remove this last weakness shall we?" Max pulled away from this phantom of a nightmare and pulled out his gun, "DIE MONSTER!"  
He fired several shots at the creature be nothing seemed to happen, until the gun went click. Nightmare Max surged forward and plunged the blade at Max..._

"AHHHHH!" Max snapped awake from his nightmare with more ferocity than a cornered tiger. He grabbed at his chest as he scrambled backwards. The phantom pain still seemed fresh but dulled quickly as Max fell sideways off his bed onto the floor. His breathing was heavy, as if he just run a marathon as he lay on the floor, the hellish nightmare still fresh in his mind. He let out a half choked sob as he remembered what had happened to Sam in his dream, killed by the one creature on earth that he trusted and cared for like a brother. Max didn't bother stopping his tears, the first he'd shed in a long time that were caused by true emotion. He hugged his knees sobbing gently. This pitiful scene was out of the ordinary for him, he wasn't prone to crying, he relished in the chance to blow something up, or put the hurt on people he disliked. But seeing Sam, brutally murdered by himself, it was something he couldn't bear. He slowly stilled his breathing and tears and gingerly pulled himself to his feet. He looked at his bed like it was its fault for his dream before slowly pulling the door open. The office was quite, the only sounds came from the rotary fan in Sam's room and his quite snoring.

It was difficult to believe that mere moments ago he'd been visited by the most horrible nightmare he'd ever had in his entire life and that was saying something. He quietly left his room and turned into Sam's room. He crept slowly to his bed, both wanting to see Sam and at the same time dreading it. He was afraid that when he did he'd see his hellish vision on Sam, looking back into the terror and loss. He slowly climbed onto Sam's bed and carefully looked at him. Sam lay there, his dreams untroubled, his mind free of nightmares, his body undamaged and normal. Max gently placed a paw on Sam's chest and felt the reassuring beat of his strong heart. Max let out a relieved sigh as he let out a half stifled relieved laugh. A nightmare, that's all it had been. Max turned to jump down of Sam's bed but when his eyes fell on the door, he felt fear rise in him again, a fear of sleeping and of being alone. He felt like a small child again, seeking the comfort of a parents arms, except in his case his parents wanted nothing to do with him. When he was young, he had always looked to Sam for shelter from his nightmares. He'd grown out of that by the age of six when he realized he could shoot his nightmares in the face and they'd leave him alone. Max sighed, he didn't much mind this feeling, of being four years old and scared, it was refreshing in a way to be vulnerable but he hoped it would be this one time. Max pulled Sam's blanket back a little and slid in next to him, again feeling the reassuring beat of his heart. He closed his eyes and felt safety around him, peace within him. He sighed and whispered, "Goodnight Sam." Sam's arm curled around Max as Sam rolled over and whispered back, "Goodnight little buddy." Max should have noticed when Sam stopped snoring but smiled none the less at Sam's understanding. He curled up into a little ball and was almost immediately asleep.

The following morning

Sam stood in the cramped kitchen and carefully flipped over a pancake. He'd been a little surprised when Max came to sleep with him. He knew that it had to have been one doozy of a nightmare to make Max do that and when he had asked him about this morning Max had gone strangely silent. Sam moved to the coffee pot and pulled it off the hotplate, looking over to Max, who was watching television at the small table they ate at. The small portable TV had been a gift that Sam had given Max last Christmas and he liked to watch it whenever he had free time, which was frequently. Sam still was wondering what kind of nightmare could have made him that afraid. He rationed that it probably had something to do with death and destruction but those were things that Max commonly dreamed about, unless... The realization of what must have been in the dream came over him like ice water. The only thing in the world Max dreaded most was not being with Sam himself. The only form of destruction that Max would fear would be destruction in which Sam didn't survive. Sam fixed their plates and moved toward the table, balancing his plate on his arm while holding two coffee mugs in his hand. "Do you want to talk about it now?" Max accepted his food and coffee without comment and moved the TV to the floor. Sam dug into his food with his usual gusto, at least until he noticed that Max was picking at his food.  
"Max are you alright?" Max shook his head and let out a depressed sigh. He wasn't alright, last night he'd fallen asleep next to Sam without any trouble but now Sam was asking about his dream and Max very much wished he still had short term memory problems.

He slowly looked up at Sam and took a deep breath. "Last Night I had a nightmare in which I watched myself stab you to death." Sam didn't respond immediately, mostly because he was more than a little stunned by this. Max had shot at him, hit him, kicked him and thrown a lot of things at him but never once had he ever tried to kill him. Max looked back at his food, not much wanting it. He'd told his friend his nightmare and now was waiting for his verdict. Sam gingerly reached across the table a rubbed the top of Max's head saying as he did so, "Max, I don't hate you or anything, it was a nightmare and judging back your reaction, it disturbed you greatly. I'm not going to think less of you for this nor will I hold it against you, best to just put it out of your mind and move on."  
Max smiled at Sam and nodded in thanks. The fact that Sam wasn't angry or scared about this was a huge relieve to him, enough so that he realized how hungry he was. The rest of breakfast passed without incident and soon they were sitting at their desks waiting for the phone to ring. This was what they normally did between cases, either sitting around waiting for the phone to ring with a case for them, or doing something constructive like shooting random crooks. The morning dragged on without incident, the most interesting thing was when they played a game of darts with their throwing axes instead of darts. The hours dragged on until their finally came a knock at the door.

Sam moved to open it but Max beat him to it, something that didn't often happen. Max pulled the door open and his breath caught in his lungs. The black furred lagomorph Maria stood there, wearing a white silk t-shirt and cotton business pants custom made for lagomorphs. She was beautiful and looked every bit the business woman. "May I come in?" Max nodded dumbly and stood aside as she walked into the room. Sam was shocked that she was up so soon, she had said that all lagomorphs possessed some kind of power or ability but he hadn't know it was that great. She sat down on Max's desk and looked at the stunned looks of the two members of the Freelance Police. After a few minutes of stunned silence she cleared her throat in a business like way and said, "Okay boys, if you'll close your mouths for a second, I'll give you your next case." This certainly got their attention as both of them closed their gaping mouths and moved to Sam's desk. Max sat on it and Sam in his chair as Maria continued, "I told you yesterday that I was here on an undercover mission, investigating the possibility of a power directing the recent events in which you were involved. I have confirmed that this is the case however I haven't the sufficient proof to take this case to court." Sam was a little surprised that she had proof that someone was manipulating events but not enough proof to take this as of yet unknown person to court.

He opened his mouth to voice this but she cut him off before he could say anything, "I know it sounds silly, but the thing is I have gotten access to that party I mentioned. Its a week long house party being hosted by Dr. Charles Grad. It will begin tomorrow so we don't have much time to plan." Both Sam and Max had looked at each other with looks of confusion at the revelation of their mystery suspect. Dr. Charles Grad was a well respected scientist with expertise in almost all fields of science, from robotics to medicine. He was held as a kindly man with good humor and personality, the very idea that he could be this corrupt organization leader was absurd, but then again, the absurd made a huge bulk of their cases. Max reclined a little on Sam's desk and asked, "So exactly how are we supposed to get in this thing? Airdrop?" Maria smiled and shook her head, "No invite, I got us invited to the party, the problem is..." She pulled out an engraved invitation and handed it to Max. Max looked it over and spluttered in shock. The invite said, "Married couple + one."  
He numbly handed the invite to Sam and received a similar reaction as Sam snorted in surprise. Sam handed it back to the lagomorph and asked, "Are you kidding? One of us is going to have to play husband?" Maria put the invite away and said, "If you don't want the case, which is sure to be an interesting one, and go about with your lives, waiting months for your next case say so now."

Both Sam and Max looked at each other, realizing the truth of he words. They could go months at a time with a case sometimes the case didn't pay. She was offering a potentially intriguing case and was going to pay them. The choice was pretty much already made. Sam nodded slowly and asked, "So, will I be playing the part?" Maria shook her head and jumped off Max's desk, moving to stand beside him, "I don't think so, for this to be convincing, I believe that Max, a lagomorph like myself should play the part." Sam nodded, personally relieved that he didn't have to do it until he realized that Max basically had no say in this. Max was more than a little annoyed by this most recent turn of events, he'd have to act like he was married to a woman he barely knew and if this wasn't odd enough, he'd be going to a house party to investigate a well known and well respected scientist, he was beginning to wonder if this woman was sane. He attempted to read her mind but it was like reading a brick wall, the sudden snapping of her voice into his head startled him, "_Max! Don't try that again, I have training to resist psychic intrusion._" Max mentally apologized, mostly because he was afraid she'd break his mind if he didn't. He sighed and said, "I don't suppose I have a choice, okay I'll do it." Maria smiled broadly and said, "Good, then lets get planning."

Well there you are, I hope you enjoyed it. Chapter 5 is soon coming.


	5. Chapter 5

Here's chapter 5, Read it and enjoy.

Chapter 5

Max sat in the driver seat of the Desoto, speeding down the highway against traffic to the outskirts of town. The planning for who they would infiltrate the house party had been simple enough to plan, omitting the numerous arguments that ensued with most every idea that their client, Maria had put forth. The plan was to introduce Max as Maximilian, a well known and well respected "business man" with a fair amount of pull in the business world. Maria was to play his wife, who had been with him for 11 years and married for 9. Her role was that of an everyday loving, supportive wife. Sam was a friend of the family a partner in Max's business. For the cover to work effectively, they had to know each other well enough to not present any suspicion. Due to having a record about him in virtually all known databases, Maria needed no coaching into Max's background or personality. Max on the other hand had to cram his mind full of information regarding this woman, real or otherwise. He had had to commit them to memory and had already arranged with Maria to have a continuous psychic link between them so that if he did forget something she could supply him with the info. Sam had little more than basic info as his background, birthday, parents name, birthplace, social security number, nothing large but enough "viable" info to fool their target should he decide to look into them. Max still didn't like the plan, nor what was going on.

A few days ago, it had been him and Sam against every form of crook you could imagine. There was no secrecy, no covers, no acting in a role that made him uncomfortable, just basic kick down the door and solve the case. He reclined in the seat a little, steering with one hand as cars swerved to miss them. He felt Sam tense behind him and little more than amusement from the woman next to him. He understood Sam's feelings of unease, it was against his better judgment to allow Max to drive the car, but Maria's feelings were what stood out to him the most, amusement. He was certain she was enjoying this breakneck drive down the highway against traffic, which confused him. She struck him as the kind of person who rigidly followed the rules and was either sickened or angered by the breaking of said rules. He looked out of the corner of his eye at her and saw her grinning broadly as the wind blew through her ears, causing them to billow in the wind. She was one of the more interesting characters that he'd met in all of his time in the Freelance Police, mainly because it was so hard to read her. She seemed to be enjoying the ride but other than this brief glimpse into her personality, he knew little else. She had training to resist psychic intrusion, martial training, weaponry skills, infiltration training but other than these basic skills which she had told them, he knew nothing about her. He mentally shook himself and turned onto the off ramp.

After a few more minutes of silence Sam said, "So, how you holding up Max?" Max didn't answer immediately, he wasn't happy about what they were going to do, he'd only agreed to it when he heard the incredible amount they would be paid if they helped. "I'm fine Sam, I just hope we can wrap this up quickly." Sam nodded, though Max didn't see it, and tried to relax in his seat. He knew why Max was eager to wrap this case up, the primary reason was of course that the role he had to play was one he absolutely didn't want to play, the second was that he wasn't used to working on cases with more than one partner, it was usually just Max and him. Off in the distance they could see the house where the party was going to take place and Max slammed on the breaks when they got within a hundred yards of it.

The large mansion was an identical match the the run down mansion where they had rescued Maria in the first place, the only difference was that this one was beautifully maintained. He looked back at Sam who wore a similar look of surprise at the appearance of the house. Both Sam and Max were beginning to feel unease about this case now. The odds of this being a coincidence were astronomical and because of this both Sam and Max looked at Maria but she seemed to be just as startled by this as they were. She looked at the pair of them, who both wore a look of mix anger and confusion. "I swear I did not know what kind of house this was till now." The panic in her voice convinced both of them that she was telling the truth, after all, she looked truly scared to see it. Max sighed heavily, why couldn't things be simple for a change.

Max pulled in front of the house behind a red Lamborghini sports car that both Sam and Max ogled and caused Maria to whisper an annoyed, "Men..." The valet came to the door and opened it, helping Maria out and then standing there idly as if his job were done. Max half kicked the door open and moved around the car toward the valet. Maria flashed him a warning look that disarmed him enough to not say anything, though he did briefly flash his gun to the man. He took the hint and apologized hastily while Sam handed him the keys to the Desoto. The valet almost ran past Sam as he took the car to park it causing Sam to wonder how their luggage would be brought to the house. He didn't give it much thought though as he turned to face Max, who was standing there with an extremely irritated expression on his face as Maria straightened the black tie he was wearing. Of all the disagreements about the plan they had formed, this one detail in particular had caused the greatest conflict. Max usually wore nothing, and everyone didn't seem to care about that but Maria had insisted for the sake of propriety that Max had to dress appropriately for this. The fight about this had nearly resulted in a shootout between Max and Maria, Sam had cut the fight short in the clients favor when he saw that Maria's sidearm was a 44 magnum. Max had to have been one of the grumpiest people on earth when he had put on this new suit for the first time. He was wearing a simple black silk two piece suit, custom made to fit lagomorphs. With this he had a long black cloak which had come with a top hat which he had absolutely refused to wear, the last thing he needed was a ton of rabbit in the hat jokes.

Maria smoothed out his suit a little and said, "There, you do look dashing." Max snorted and said with through irritation, "Yeah? Well I feel like an idiot." Sam smiled at this, he found it very odd to see Max dressed, it was nice to see that it hadn't caused him to lose his charming personality. Sam cleared his throat and motioned toward the house saying, "You know, I think we should go inside, were blocking the way." This was of course true, there was a line of 5 couples behind them all waiting impatiently for the three of them to move out of the way. Maria offered her arm to Max and he hesitantly took it. He blushed slightly, something that Sam spotted causing him to chuckle. He bent down next to Max and whispered, "Are you enjoying yourself?" Max didn't verbally respond, instead choosing to shoot him a venomous glare that said quite clearly, "I'm gonna hit you if you continue speaking." Sam chuckled again as Maria guided her date into the house with Sam following behind.

The sound of soft classical music greeted their ears as they walked through the doors of the mansion. Sam found it somewhat pleasant but judging by the look on Max's face, he was about to be ill. He was sure it wasn't just the music, but the large number of rich snobs that were wandering around the hallway and ball room. It was a lot like they had been teleported to an alien planet, everything was so different. Max was doing his level best to ignore the curious looks that they were getting, he was sure that they had probably never expected to see a dog and two rabbits in dress ware walk through the doors. Sam was a little unsure of what to do next, they had planned on getting in, which they had, and now they needed to look for the host of this party, Dr. Grad. Neither Sam nor Max had ever had to negotiate their way through a high class crowd like this, they commonly just pushed through it but he was sure there were rules regarding this particular crowd. He looked at Maria who seemed to be mentally counting the security in the place and Max looked like he was trying to tune out everything. Sam cleared his throat and got both of their attentions before saying, "I suppose we should look for Dr. Grad, you know introduce ourselves?"  
"Did I hear my name used?" The trio turned around quickly to see a tall balding man with a cheery smile standing there with a glass of scotch in his hand. He offered a hand to Sam while he said, "I am Dr. Charles Grad, its a pleasure to meet you mister?" Sam took the offered hand and shook it, "I'm Sam, just Sam, I'm a friend of Maximilian." At this he indicated Max to his right who offered his paw to the doctor, who shook it. "Its a pleasure to meet you Maximilian or would you prefer Max?"

Sam thought for a second that the doctor knew exactly who they were and quickly interjected, "I don't see why not, all of his friends and his wife do, right Max?" Max nodded a little eagerly at the suggestion and said, "Yes, I'd prefer to be called Max, this is my wife Maria, thank you for inviting us to your party." While Dr. Grad kissed Maria's hand Sam noticed the sickened look that Max was wearing, it was quite clear that this excessive use of manners, as well as the pretending to be married, were just killing him. He screwed a convincing smile back onto his face as Dr. Grad addressed him, "Its strange, I don't remember inviting you and I have an excellent memory, could I see your invite please?" Max pulled the invite out of his chest pocket and handed it to him, praying that it was a good enough forgery to pass under this obviously sharp man's gaze. Grad looked it over for several long seconds and eventually shrugged and tucked it into his pocket, "I guess I was wrong, it must have been slipped in when I was signing them, but regardless, welcome!" His change from scrutinizing to cheerful was slightly unnerving but they recovered quickly as he motioned for them to follow him. It was quite clear that their host was a very kind man as he pulled out a chair for Maria at the dining table and offered both Sam and Max a drink. The doctor sat down at the long dining table and began talking with Sam and Max about their work.

Thankfully, they had practiced enough about what they needed to say to come across as convincing. The doctor seemed genuinely interested as Max explained how he owned and managed a large personal defense company, hiring out to protect and serve, sort of like a branch of the existing law enforcement. Dr. Grad asked many questions about it, seeming generally interested and thankfully Max was able to answer all questions without much trouble. Soon diner was served and the remainder of the evening passed by without incident After several hours of food, music, and dancing, in which Maria didn't much participate in after her and Max's first dance in which he had "accidentally" stepped on her foot. With the first night of the party winding down Dr. Grad stood up and cleared his throat holding his glass in the air,  
"I would like to thank all of you for coming out here this evening, as you are no doubt aware, this is a party honoring my son, who has just graduated from medical school top of his class. I'm sure a lot of you are wondering why this party is going to last all week, well my son is coming home but won't be here till the end of the week. Until he gets here, we will continue with the party. Those of you who are staying here the entire time the servants will show you to your rooms. For the rest of you who are going home please raise your glasses in a toast to my son." More than three quarters of all those present raised their glasses as Grad called, "To Nikolai Grad, my son." The hall echoed with, "To Nikolai" followed by people filtering out from the hall slowly and it was another hour before it was empty of all those who weren't staying.

There were only about three couples in the room as well as a few singles meandering around. Max was very surprised to see Flint Paper, their old neighbor, standing by the drink table. He seemed to be pretty well tanked seeing as he didn't seem to notice Sam or Max as he was lead to his room by a butler. A few minutes after Flint had left a maid came up to them and said, "If you'll follow me I'll take you to your rooms." The trio nodded, got up from the table, and followed the maid out of the hall. The house was much quieter than it had been minutes before and the trip through it was very eerie. The last time they had been in a house similar to this one, it was full of bodies and a badly beaten woman, and now it was comfortable and warm, like an old wise man lived here. The maid opened a door on the second floor and showed Sam inside before walking a little further down the hall and opening another door and showing Max and Maria in.  
They entered the room behind the maid and immediately Max saw a problem. There was only one double bed available in this room. He turned to talk to the maid about this but she had already gone. Max looked around the room, looking for another area with which to sleep on with no luck, this room was built for a guest and had only the bare essentials in it. "Great... I hope the floor is comfortable, because I'm not sharing the bed." He turned to look at Maria and noticed that she wasn't there. He assumed she was in the bathroom as he opened his suitcase and pulled out its contents and set up a sleeping area on the floor for himself. "I hope you weren't planing on sleeping there. Max turned to snap at her but his voice cracked in his throat. She was leaning against the door frame of the bathroom, wearing a black silk nightgown that perfectly insinuated her form. Max's mind was in free fall, all thought in his mind had ceased completely. She smiled at his reaction and walked past him, gently stoking his face before climbing into the bed.

Max audibly gulped, this case was going to be much harder than he thought.

Well, there's chapter 5, give me your opinions.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, here's chapter six, Read and enjoy. Review it as well

Disclaimer: I don't own Sam and Max

Chapter 6

Sam slowly came awake, the bed he was in was unfamiliar to him. It took him a few minutes before he remembered that he wasn't at home but at the house of the prominent Dr. Charles Grad and that he was here to investigate him. The previous night seemed like a blur of confusion, he remembered he'd drank a little but nowhere near enough for the confusion he felt. It wasn't until her remembered their additional guest and ally on this mission did he remember why he felt so off. Maria, their client, was pretending to be wedded to Max, an arrangement that Max despised. When Sam had walked into his room and realized that Max wasn't behind him he knew where he had gone. To carry the trick of being married he'd have to share a room with Maria and that meant that more than likely that they'd have a double bed instead of the single that Sam had. Sam had lain awake for hours hoping and praying that neither Max nor Maria would come to drastic measures to resolve the sleeping arrangements and had been slightly unnerved by the other prospect, that they'd share the bed. Thinking back to it, he chuckled a little at the thought of Max hack sawing the bed in half to sleep on it without her.

Sam sighed and sat up in the bed, noting as he did so that it was a quarter after 10, a little later than he usually slept. He stretched languidly and looked around the room. It was pretty bare, no paintings on the walls, the carpet a simple white and it only had one bed, a couch and TV. Sam was surprised that some one as wealthy or as prominent as Dr. Grad couldn't seem to afford better commendations to his house guests. He stretched again and yawned broadly, deciding that he might as well go check to see if either Max or their client were still alive at this point. As he slid his legs of the bed and onto the cold floor he heard a distinctive click come from across the room. He quickly reached under his pillow and pulled out his gun, pointing it across the room at a person he hadn't noticed before. Standing by the window on the opposite side of the room was a woman, a maid by the looks of her uniform. She was staring at Sam unconcernedly despite the rather large revolver he had pointed at her. She had fiery red hair that reached down to her shoulders and a fair creamy skin color that looked well maintained, she was wearing a traditional maids outfit that seemed tight around her curvy figure. In her hands she was holding a key ring that had a number of keys of all shapes and sizes on it. She didn't so much as smile as she said, "Put that gun away before you hurt someone, I'm just here to clean up and open the windows."

Sam grumbled sheepishly as he uncocked the revolver and put it away, he could have sworn he heard the sound of a gun cocking. As he slid out of bed and began pulling on his shirt and coat, trying to not pay any mind to the attractive maid. When she moved to the window directly next to him she used one of the keys on the key chain to unlock the window with the same click he'd heard moments ago. He found it rather surprising to see the large padlock on the window, holding it shut. He asked the maid about it and she answered with obvious irritation, "All of the windows in the house are locked like this. Now if you don't mind I have work to do." Sam looked around the room with his eyebrow raised, there wasn't anything that needed to be done, the room was as clean as it had been when he had first arrived. The only exception was the bed but that wouldn't take longer than 5 minutes to do. Deciding to ignore the maid, he put his gun holster into his coat and left the room, not noticing the lingering look the woman gave him as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. Sam breathed in deep the smell of this old house, kinda reminded him of his grandpa's house. There were several maids wandering around the house, cleaning things as they went along. After stopping a maid to ask where his friend was sleeping, he turned on his heel and walked down the hall to the room she had indicated was Max's.

Stopping briefly at the door as all kind's of scenarios about what might be inside ran through his head. He knocked a couple of times on the door and received no answer. He was tempted to just open the door but the manner's he learned when he was little told him that opening the door to a room in which a woman slept was a bad idea. He raised his fist to knock on the door again when it opened and Maria stood there wearing a smart gray two piece suit like outfit, which caused Sam to think, "_Always the business woman." _Sam tried to look past her at the bed but she drew his attention with a faint cough, "What can I do for you this morning Sam?"  
Sam, still trying to look at the bed said, "I just came to check on you and Max, last night couldn't have been a pleasant one." Maria smiled mischievously and said as she walked past Sam, "Actually, He and I had quite a lot of fun last night, I'll admit he's a fair bit more imaginative than I thought."  
At this Sam was left gawking at her as she head down the hall and stairs and it was a few moments before the thought processes for movement reengaged allowing him to stumble hastily into the room. Upon entering he looked at the bed and noted that Max was not curled up in it, there did appear to be a small area on the floor that resembled a nest of clothes that Sam could only assume was were Max had intended to sleep.

After checking the bathroom for the little guy, he looked under the bed. For some reason Max didn't seem to be in the room at all. As Sam turned to leave he heard a grunting snore from somewhere above him. He looked up and had to stifle a laugh at what he saw. Sure enough, there was Max, duct taped to the ceiling in a semi comfortable sleeping style, his legs dangling towards the floor. Sam wondered how on earth Max had managed to tape himself ten feet off the floor and felt a slight wave of relieve at the knowledge that this surely must be what Maria had meant by imaginative fun. He grabbed a nearby desk chair, this room being better furnished than his own, and stood on it to reach Max. Sam smiled as he gently poked Max, trying to wake him gently. Max continued to sleep on until Sam yelled his name at which point Max jerked awake, vainly attempting to retrieve his gun from his awkward position. Sam's smile broadened as he asked, "Need help little buddy?" Max focused on Sam and said with mock indignation, "I need no help, I will get myself down." Using his psychic powers he picked up a letter opener of the desk and used it to cut through the duct tape. Max fell to the floor with a resounding thud and yelled, "I'm okay!"

Sam climbed down of the chair and sat on it instead looking at his partner who lay in a heap on the floor, "I know you are, when Maria said you two had lots of fun last night...well I'm glad her helping you tape yourself to the ceiling was what it was." Max shot Sam a look of rage which confused Sam for a sec before he remembered that Max could read minds. Quickly he responded to his lapse in sense by saying, "I didn't mean it like that, it just, I mean, I..." Sam quickly realized he'd dug a hole that was only getting deeper with every word he said. Finally deciding to just accept the pain that was to come he closed his eyes and waited for the coming blow. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, a minute passed before Sam opened his eyes to look at Max who was sitting on the floor starring at Sam with a look of impatience, he shook his head and said, "Sam I don't blame you for worrying about stuff like that, I'm not like that and I know for a fact that neither is she, I still have a headache from when I thought that was what she was planning." Sam was taken aback by this, Max had suspected that Maria had intended to carry the charade that far, but from what Max had told him when he touched her mind to check if this where so she had seen the thought and responded viciously to it. Though relieved, he still felt confused as to how Max had wound up taped to the ceiling.

Before he could ask about that however Max provided the answer, "After that rather, unpleasant moment, things got better at a rather disturbing speed I might add, and we started swapping tales. I told her I'd always wanted to tape myself to something and she volunteered to help me do it." Sam was still very confused by all this, he had a woman he knew nothing about, Max, who was clearly disturbed by this whole affair apart from being disturbed in general, and a prominent doctor who was suspected by the government for involvement in a crime syndicate. At the moment he couldn't think of anything that could make this week any stranger. Sam stood up and asked Max, "So little buddy, feel like getting something to eat?" Max nodded eagerly and followed Sam out of the room.

Breakfast was an enjoyable affair, Sam and Max sat beside each other and practically pigged out on the rich and luxurious food that their host was serving. Breakfast went on for about an hour, finally being wrapped up when the host left the table. Sam patted his full belly and started feeling that peaceful drowsiness that came from being well fed. He rose from his seat and left the dinning room, looking around the magnificent great hall. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something that caught his attention, was that Dr. Grad? Sam looked around carefully before following after the doctor. The doctor turned a few corners with Sam following stealthy behind him until finally he came to a halt. Sam took shelter behind a large suit of armor and waited to see if the doctor was waiting for something or some one.

After a few minutes a shadowed figure came from a door on the doctors left and motioned silently at the doctor Sam leaned a little closer to try and catch the conversation. "Is everything in motion?" The doctor nodded and said, "Yes, everything is ready. Hopefully we wont have any delays. Does he suspect anything?"  
The figure shrugged and answered, "I'm sure he suspects something, as long as we play our cards right we should gain our satisfaction." The doctor turned away from the figure in Sam direction with a satisfied smile on his face before saying, "Good, lets hope that we receive no interruptions to this, I'm counting on you to play your part, don't fail me." The figure receded into the shadows saying, "Of course not good doctor, I shall not fail." At that Dr. Grad walked down the hall and past the spot where Sam stood. He didn't seem to notice Sam who now was certain that something was going on.

I hope this didn't seem rushed, chapter 7 on the way


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, here's chapter 7, if you like it, review and tell me what you think

Disclaimer: I don't own Sam and Max

Max sighed deeply as he reclined in a lawn chair beside a pond in the back yard of Grad manor, the rays of the sun lazily caressing him with their warmth. The day was going by slowly, much slower than Max would have preferred but for the moment, he was enjoying his sunbathing. He could hear the sound of a few people playing in the pond, the soft laughing and merriment, the feel of the sun on his body, the warm breeze, the soft paws messaging his shoulders...wait, what was that last one?  
Max opened his eyes to see the beautiful green of Maria staring back at him. He was going to snap something about wanting to be left alone when he noticed Dr. Grad pass by not more than ten seconds later. After another three minutes or so she kissed him gently on the cheek and moved off towards the pond again.

That last action sent his mind reeling.  
Even pretending, that had been a pretty romantic thing to do. He couldn't tell whether she was attracted to him or was still just pretending, mainly because all of her actions countered everything she did, she makes it clear that this is all an act and yet is comfortable with the idea of wearing a silk nightgown and sharing a king sized bed with him. She becomes enraged with him imagining how far she'd go to carry this charade and yet give him a neck message and kiss on the cheek, which side of her was he supposed to believe. As he thought about it, he realized that many people and some cultures kissed on the cheek as a friendly greeting, with this knowledge, it was possible he was simply reading more into this than there actually was. He cursed silently as he closed his eyes again, wishing for the days when he barely had to remember, let alone think. As he settled back down to relax again, he heard an all to familiar voice ask him, "So Max, found yourself a lovely little woman have you?" Had it not been for the fact that Flint Paper had asked this, Max probably would have attacked the man.

Flint Paper was a private investigator who, for many years, had been a next door neighbor to Sam and himself. He handled his job with as much flair and exuberance as Sam and Max did, it was for this reason that Max admired Flint so much. Max smiled broader than usual as he hoped up and enthusiastically shook flints hand, "Flint! Its so good to see you again."  
Flint gingerly removed his hand from Max's and said, "Likewise Max, your moving certainly made the neighborhood quitter, so what's with the girl?" Max looked back over at Maria, who was sitting on the edge of the pier with her feet in the water. He wasn't sure if he should tell Flint the truth, but on greater reflection knew that Flint was trustworthy enough. So as to not be over heard he asked Flint to allow him into his mind. Flint silently nodded and allowed the lagomorph to enter into his mind and share all the information about the case with him. At the end of the transfer Flint nodded in understanding and said in a low tone so as to not be overheard,  
"Right, got it, I'll keep my eyes open for anything suspicious and if I hear anything, you'll be the first to know." Max nodded as Flint left in the direction of the house, Max was pleased to see the man and grateful that he was helping out, it was always good to have an extra set of eyes on a case.

Max stretched and turned back to his lawn chair, to take a nap in the noon day sun when he heard Sam call him from behind, "Max! Max I need to talk to you." Max sighed and turned back to face his friend, feeling only slightly disappointed, "What is it Sam?" Sam came to a halt, doubled over and breathing heavily, he'd ran the intervening distance between himself and Max. When he had finally caught his breath he said, "Max, I need to meet with you and Maria in your room, I've got a lead in our case." Max looked around at these last words for eavesdroppers and nodded slowly before whispering, "Right, I'll get her and meet you there, also try and keep it on the down low." Sam nodded and turned to head back to the mansion, leaving Max to go and get Maria.

He walked over to the dock and looked at the black furred lagomorph. The sunlight was playing gently with the water, giving her a glow as it reflected off the water. Her fur moved ever so gently in the breeze which she seemed to be breathing in, as if nothing so sweet ever existed. He walked over beside her and sat next to her, looking at her as she sat back in the sunlight, basking in the beauty of the world around her. She was so at peace that Max felt his own chaotic tendencies calmed by her presence alone. "You know, this reminds me of where I grew up, high in the mountains, secluded from the world around me. On days like these, I would sit with my father and let time slow around me." Max couldn't help but be enthralled by her story, he scooted closer to her and asked, "Was it really as beautiful as you say?"  
She smiled broadly and shook her head, "No, it was more than this, the waters were crystal clear, the wind was pure and untainted by the smells of the city and always carried the scents of the land around us, flowers, trees, and the grass wet with morning dew." She breathed in deep as another breeze blew past her, her ears fluttering slightly in the wind. Max looked down at her paw, which was resting a few inches away from his own, for some reason he felt that if he took it he'd feel the same peace she felt, and it didn't alarm him. All his life he'd lived in mayhem and it had been his creed, never once had he wanted it to change. His fingers scooted closer to hers and soon, he felt her paw under his, she looked at him with a puzzled look as he wrapped her paw in his, looking as deep as he could into her emerald green eyes. The sun was warm on their shoulders as they stared at one another, the simple act of holding hands seemed to cause time to slow to a crawl, the world around seemed to exist within them as well as around, the peace within as well as out.

Maria took his other hand in her own and willed for the moment to expand into eternity. Max felt his heart beating slowly as he closed his eyes and breathed deep the scent of the world that was carried to him on the breeze, a scent of lilac teasing his nose. He felt a pair of lips brush his own and he opened his eyes to discover the scent of lilac came from the woman in front of him. He felt his heart skip several beats, his mind numb as she gently kissed him again. For a moment, he knew true peace. The moment did indeed stretch on into eternity as he kissed her, the first woman he'd kissed in sixteen years. When they finally parted Max felt his heart thudding madly against his ribs. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold tight, as if letting her go would cause the world to fly apart. Even as he stroked her cheek gently did he remember what Sam had said, it felt like years ago though it had only been ten minutes.

Maria's eyes were closed as she let time continue to crawl around her. Max regretted having to end the moment, but what Sam had said had sounded important. Max cleared his throat and said, "Maria, As much as I want this moment to continue, Sam came to me a little while ago, said he'd found a lead on our case." Maria looked a little disappointed as she said, "I understand, but promise me that we can continue our 'discussion' later." Max chuckled and nodded in agreement as he helped Maria to her feet and together they headed towards the mansion.

Minutes later

Sam watched as Max and Maria finally arrived in the bedroom. He wondered what could have taken him so long, seeing as the house wasn't that far from where they had been. He also wondered why Max looked so pleased, had some accident occurred while he was watching? Max hoped up onto the bed and Maria sat down beside him, clearing her throat before asking, "Okay Sam, we're here, now what did you find out?" Sam sighed deeply and began to explain, "Earlier this morning, I followed Dr. Grad and saw him having a secret meeting in a dark hallway with someone." Maria seemed a little surprised by this while Max impatiently asked, "Well, what did they say?" Sam looked a little on edge as he continued, "Dr. Grad asked if preparations for some event were ready, asked if 'he' suspected anything and If the man he was talking to would keep up his part in the plan. It definitely sounded like he was up to something" Maria nodded silently, apparently deep in thought while Max was staring intently at the door frame, as if he had seen something interesting on it.

Maria nodded to herself and said, "Sam, Its a good lead for sure, but we'll need more solid evidence that this isn't some elaborate party idea for his son's return. We'll need to do more investigation before I call in the cavalry. What do you think Max...Max?" She turned to look at Max who was starring at the door with a look of terror, as if some demon had just walked through it, " WE'VE GOT TO...!"  
Before he could complete his sentence the whole bed flipped over and dumped all three of its occupants into a passage below. Sam tumbled around the dimly lit stone passage, hearing the whistling of the wind and screams of his friends. As he bounced off the wall for the second time he saw the ground below him and felt his heart stop. Hurtling quickly toward them was a well lit pit lined entirely with razor sharp spikes. Sam did the most expedient thing he could due with a split seconds notice and flung out his arms and legs to brace himself against the wall, his shoulders and thighs screaming in protest as he began slowing down.

As he reached the bottom of the shaft he flung out his arm and grabbed Max by the foot which popped out of socket as Sam stopped him from falling. Max couldn't feel pain, he couldn't feel hate, he couldn't feel himself. All he could feel was his heart beating in fear against his rib cage, but not from the sudden fall. "MARIA NO!" It was too late to grab her as she fell screaming into the pit. He couldn't tear his eyes away, he couldn't shut them, his body refused to obey him as with the heart stopping sound of flesh on metal did she come to a halt. Sam had looked away when he had seen that there was no way to stop her. He heard the sound that had made his skin crawl and knew that there was no way she survived that. Max was violently kicking at Sam's wrist with his good foot screaming, "Let me go! I have to Help her!" Sam angrily snapped at Max as he thrashed about, "Are you crazy? If I let you go you'll die too! Now stop kicking and listen to me." Max refused to listen to his friend as he screamed, "She isn't dead, she'll be alright!" Sam gripped harder on Max's dislocated ankle which caused him tell yell in pain and further more, stop fighting. "Max, We need to get out of here, I'm going to put your ankle back into socket, I want you to shimmy up the wall and tie off a rope or bed sheets so we can get down there.

Max didn't respond audibly but nodded none the less. Sam pulled up on Max's leg and grabbed his stomach, feeling the bone pop back into place. As soon as Max was above him he began climbing up towards the room above, Sam was doing his best to hold onto the wall and not look at Maria. A few minutes later a long bed sheet dropped down past Sam's face and to the floor below. Sam grabbed it and lowered himself gingerly down to the floor below. Max however was sliding down the rope so fast he might as well have been falling again. Sam back stepped as Max hit the floor and limped over to the still form of Maria.  
Max fell to his knees beside her. His hand outstretched toward her, the look on his face was on that Sam had never seen before, as if life itself had been taken away. Sam gently lifted Maria's lifeless form off the spiked and set it down at Max's feet. Max felt tears flow from his eyes as he lifted her to his chest. For a brief moment, Max had known true peace, and now his world was in complete Chaos. Sam heard his weeping, feeling completely out of client had been killed, something that Sam knew was a horrible event, but apart from the sadness he felt at seeing her like this, he felt more for Max because some how, he had grown very close to her in the few days they had known each other.

Max was gently stroking her fur as he continued to weep when suddenly Maria started coughing up blood, gasping for air. Sam and Max both gaped at her as she clutched her chest in pain and gasped in lung fulls of air. "Ma...Maria...Your alive!" Max hugged her hard as the world seemed to right itself. Maria's eyes were watering as she gasped, "Yes Max, I am, would you please stop smothering me?" Sam was starting to laugh, partly in relief and partly because of his own stupidity, he had completely forgotten Maria's unique ability to heal. Max let Maria go gently, the wound in her chest seemed weeks old and was starting to fade. His eyes met hers and he kissed her fiercely which immediately caused Sam to gawk in surprise.  
When Max finally stopped he said, "Now, before we pick up from where we left off, Don't ever scare me like that again!" Maria chuckled and answered coyly, "Yes dear, I'll try not to unintentionally fall into hidden spike traps. Max chuckled and helped her to her feet while Sam just stood there open mouthed at the two of them. When did this temporary arrangement become so...so...so real! Sam croaked out, "What just happened here?" Max and Maria began laughing at Sam's stunned face as they headed for the rope. They'd let Sam imagine about what was going on.

So there's Chapter 7, I hope you enjoyed it.


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